You can be our bloody heroes
BUTCHER TELLS YOUNG LIONS TO MAKE HISTORY
France underlined their status as title favourites by making a winning start in the ‘Group of Death’. The World Cup holders edged a hard-fought contest courtesy of a first-half owngoal, made possible by an audacious piece of skill from Paul Pogba.
Pogba has failed to live up to expectations in his second spell at Manchester United but, with France, he looks a different player.
Here, surrounded by better quality and in an environment where he feels more comfortable, Pogba showed his true world-class talents.
His sublime pass led to Mats Hummels turning the ball into his own net, the moment of brilliance proving enough to decide the game.
Didier Deschamps’ side then played within themselves, never reaching the potential that has marked them out as the team to beat.
This, the most eagerly-awaited game of the Euros yet, was the sixth meeting between the two nations at a major tournament – the head-to-head level at two wins each. Les Bleus were looking to become the first nation to twice hold the World Cup and European Championship crowns at the same time, having achieved that feat in 1998 and 2000.
With Germany boss Joachim Low standing down after the finals, his team want to give him the perfect send-off after 15 years at the helm.
The quality here was borne out by the fact only three of the 22 starters did not possess a World
Cup or Champions League winners’ medal.
The first chance fell to France after 15 minutes,
Pogba rising to head a corner over.
Kylian Mbappe then tested Manuel Neuer with a curling effort.
But it proved third time lucky for France on 20 minutes when Pogba played a majestic ball with the outside of his right foot to Lucas Hernandez. He sent it across the sixyard box and Hummels inadvertently put the ball into the roof of his net.
The goal proved the catalyst for France to take control, with Antoine Griezmann, N’Golo Kante, Mbappe and Pogba starring. Germany were restricted to half-chances with Thomas Muller and Ilkay Gundogan going wide.
Adrien Rabiot should have made it 2-0 when he clipped the post from a tight angle, though the better option may have been to set up Griezmann.
At the other end, Serge Gnabry went close with a shot that thudded into the ground and flew just over.
That sparked some German pressure and they looked dangerous for the first time in the game.
Mbappe produced a sublime finish in the 66th minute, only for the goal to be correctly ruled out for offside as he turned away to begin his celebration.
And VAR intervened late on for offside again when Mbappe teed up strike partner Karim Benzema for a simple tap-in.
FRANCE (4-3-1-2): Lloris 6; Pavard 6, Varane 7, Kimpembe 7, Hernandez 7; Rabiot 7 (Dembele 90), Kante 8, Pogba 8; Griezmann 7; Mbappe 7, Benzema 7 (Tolisso 89). Goal: Hummels 20 og.
GERMANY (3-4-3): Neuer 6; Ginter 6 (Can 87), Hummels 5, Rudiger 5; Kimmich 7, Kroos 6, Gundogan 6, Gosens 6 (Volland 87); Havertz 5 (Sane 74), Muller 5, Gnabry 7 (Werner 74).
Greatness – as Terry Butcher will testify – is not defined by a shirt soaked in blood or a head swathed in bandages. As England prepare for their Wembley reunion with Scotland in the Euros on Friday, the legend who once spilled more ketchup for his country than a Quentin Tarantino movie says they must seize their chance to become “immortals”.
In club football, Butcher was a winner on both sides of the Auld Enemy divide – a defensive rock in Sir Bobby Robson’s UEFA Cup-winning Ipswich team 40 years ago and a three-times top-flight champion with
Rangers.
But the lionheart who finished a
World Cup qualifier against
Sweden in
1989 with his head bandaged, and white shirt plastered in his own claret, believes England’s class of 2021 are at the gates of history.
As he was inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame at Portman Road, Butcher – who won 77 caps – said: “I was lucky enough to play at three World Cups and captain England in a semi-final.
“If I could give this group of players one nugget of advice, it would be, ‘Go out and make history, create some memories to te And don’t settle for b very good if you c because the next Eng major tournament wi “We have made a Croatia are a decent allow them a single c “These players do burdened by fear – E past have found that bear but I loved th they got at Croatia f “Scotland kno manage to kee they will still h subdue Rah Foden and M “It will b year beca restrictio loved
games more than any other fixture. The noise and the passion used to give you goosebumps.
“I didn’t like it when the Tartan Army took over both ends at Wembley because that was our kingdom, our domain. I only lost once in six games against them so they often went home disappointed, which is how I liked it.”
Butcher does not mind being reminded of his gory appearance in Sweden 32 years ago – because he does not regard it as a defining moment in his career.
With charming understatement, he said: “It was just something that happened in a football match.
“It was much more serious after I broke my nose at Luton in an FA Cup tie in 1982 when Brian Stein, above, kicked me in the head attempting an overhead kick and I ended up in hospital for five weeks.
“After an abundance of transfusions and two operations I was transferred to the London Hospital, where the Elephant Man lived – which was quite appropriate because I looked like the Elephant Man afterwards.
“When people talk about the blood on my shirt in Stockholm, it was just a scratch.
“We raised a lot of money for charity by auctioning one of the shirts I wore that night – the other, would you believe, I’ve loaned to the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park.
“I’m not sure they will think much of it if we beat them on Friday but it’s still an England captain’s bloodied shirt.” The National Football Museum has just unveiled its English Hall of Fame exhibition, showcasing the stories of male and female Hall of Famers and memorabilia from their careers. For opening times and to book tickets, go to www.nationalfootballmuseum.com
Don’t just settle for being rated very good
Cristiano Ronaldo needs little more empirical evidence to prove his greatness or affirm his place at the game’s very top table. But his appetite to prove himself remains insatiable and he ticked off another milestone as Portugal got their campaign off to a winning start.
Two goals from their legend helped secure an opening Group F victory over Hungary at a packed Puskas Arena in Budapest.
The first, from the penalty spot, moved him clear of Michel Platini as the most prolific European Championship marksman with 10 goals, and a second further hammered home his advantage.
For his second goal – Portugal’s third – he and Rafa Silva exchanged a double one-two inside the box, providing the cherry on the cake on a vibrant night. Portugal’s three goals came in the final 10 minutes and, in truth, it was a nervy opener for the defending champions.
Despite creating a host of chances, they had to wait until the 84th minute before Raphael Guerreiro’s shot took a helpful deflection off Willi Orban to wrong-foot the previously sound Peter Gulacsi in the Hungary goal.
Three minutes later, the luckless Orban hauled down Silva in the penalty area for Ronaldo to convert, before the pair combined to finally settle matters.
This was Ronaldo’s night, however late we had to wait for him to grab it.
For Portugal, they are up and running in a group in which they, Germany and France will all need to whip the
Hungarians hard to secure a favourable route out.
Predictably, Portugal had carved out the better chances in a first half, which might, on another night, have seen them over the hill and far away at the break.
Jota was keen but a little wasteful, Gulacsi resolute in the Hungary goal and Portugal blunt in front of goal.
Hungary had few chances – the hard-working Adam Szalai heading straight to Portugal keeper Rui Patricio after meeting a free-kick – but it did not stop the packed Puskas Arena cheering every tackle and pass.
HUNGARY (3-5-2): Gulacsi 8; Botka 6, Orban 6, Attila Szalai 6; Lovrencsics 6, Kleinheisler 6 (Siger 78), Nagy 6, Schafer 6, Fiola 6; Adam Szalai 7, Sallai 7 (Schon 77).
PORTUGAL (4-2-3-1): Rui Patricio 6; Semedo 6, Pepe 6, Dias 6, Guerreiro 6; Danilo 6, Carvalho 7 (Sanches 81); Bernardo 6 (Rafa Silva 71), Fernandes 6 (Moutinho 89), Jota 6 (Andre Silva 81); Ronaldo 8.
Goals: Guerreiro 84, Ronaldo 87 pen, 90.